Day: April 29, 2020

Iran must not give in to U.S. “provocations,” Russia said on Wednesday, following months of mounting tension between Washington and Tehran. “We are urging maximum restraint and caution, not to give in to provocations and aggressive rhetoric,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters. Tehran and Washington have traded barbs over a spate of incidents in the…

The Russian Orthodox Church on Wednesday banned popular theologian Andrei Kurayev from holding services over his criticism of a church official who died from coronavirus last week. Protodeacon Kurayev referred to Alexander Ageykin, the head of a central Moscow cathedral who died from Covid-19 on April 21, as “a dumb careerist.” Ageykin’s death marked the highest-level…

A group suspected of attempting to sell 100 counterfeit ventilators used to treat coronavirus patients have been detained after an armed confrontation outside Moscow, news outlets reported Wednesday. The coronavirus pandemic has strained Russia’s healthcare system as infections have soared, with officials and healthcare workers pointing to widespread shortages in equipment such as ventilators. Russia has…

Update: Venediktov apologized to Veduta for causing her trauma but continued to deny the allegations of wrongdoing.  “Anya’s accusations against me did not take place. However, I apologize once again if this stayed in her mind. If she’s suffering, please don’t suffer,” Venediktov said on air Wednesday evening. Two women have accused Alexei Venediktov, the…

Russia on Wednesday extended an entry ban for foreigners to slow the coronavirus as the country registers a steep rise in the number of new infections.  The decree barring foreigners from entering the country, which was introduced in mid-March and set to expire Thursday, was extended until Russia has the virus under control, Prime Minister…

The mayor of a remote Siberian town has accused four district officials of attempting to start wildfires after catching them with gas canisters near his property, local media reported Wednesday. The four officials from the Ust-Kutsky district in the Irkutsk region said they were on assignment to film reported burn sites, according to a series…

As the new coronavirus that has killed more than 217,000 people worldwide continues to spread, Russia has stepped up its measures to slow the pandemic’s spread within its borders. There have been 99,399 cases of coronavirus infections reported in Russia so far and 972 deaths. April 29: 3 things you need to know today Russia confirmed 5,841 new coronavirus…

The Kremlin is attempting to take advantage of Russia’s coronavirus outbreak to maintain President Vladimir Putin’s popularity and ensure that the public votes for his constitutional reforms, the Proekt investigative outlet reported Wednesday, citing unnamed federal officials. The reforms would potentially allow Putin, 67, to extend his 20-year rule into 2036. Putin postponed a public…

The Russian economy has been rocked by the coronavirus outbreak, and fears the fresh OPEC+ oil production pact between Russia and Saudi Arabia will not be enough to address a historic fall in demand. The turmoil has shocked traders around the world and resulted in sharp volatility on the Russian stock markets and swings in…

President Vladimir Putin warned Tuesday that Russia had not yet reached the peak of coronavirus infections but said a “phased exit” from the country’s lockdown measures could begin in two weeks. With the number of cases rising by several thousand daily, Putin extended a non-working period across the country until May 11, telling officials to plan for…

A Prague official has alleged that there was a Russian plot to “liquidate” him and two other Czech politicians, all of whom have clashed with the Kremlin over controversial Soviet memorials in the city. Prague district 6 mayor Ondrej Kolar told Czech media late Tuesday that he was being kept at an undisclosed location after…